Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday sharply condemned United States President Donald Trump over his latest verbal attack on Pope Leo XIV, describing the remarks as an insult to the head of the Catholic Church and “a desecration of Jesus Christ.”
The diplomatic row erupted after Trump publicly said he was “not a big fan” of the American-born pontiff, accusing Pope Leo XIV of being “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” following the pope’s criticism of the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military confrontation with Iran.
Reacting in a post on X on Monday, Pezeshkian said Iran rejected what he described as an affront to both the pope and the Christian faith.
“His Holiness Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex), I condemn the insult to Your Excellency on behalf of the great nation of Iran, and declare that the desecration of Jesus, the prophet of peace and brotherhood, is not acceptable to any free person. I wish you glory by Allah,” the Iranian president wrote.
Trump’s comments, made late Sunday, marked an extraordinary escalation in his growing feud with the Vatican.
The U.S. president had accused the pontiff of unfairly criticising his administration’s foreign policy stance, particularly over the conflict involving Iran, while also reviving grievances linked to restrictions placed on religious gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He’s a very liberal person, and he’s a man that doesn’t believe in stopping crime,” Trump said, adding that he did not “want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
He went further to suggest that his presidency played a role in the pope’s emergence at the Vatican, saying, “If I weren’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”
The remarks have triggered global outrage and deepened tensions between Washington and the Vatican, especially as Pope Leo XIV has in recent days emerged as one of the most outspoken international voices calling for restraint and dialogue over the Iran crisis.
The clash comes against the backdrop of heightened hostilities in the Middle East after U.S. forces, acting under Trump’s directive and in coordination with Israel, launched missile strikes on Iranian targets in February under what officials described as Operation Epic Fury.
Iran responded with retaliatory strikes targeting locations across parts of the Gulf region, further raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
Diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis also appeared to have stalled after a reconciliation meeting held over the weekend in Islamabad, Pakistan, ended without a breakthrough.
With both Washington and Tehran hardening their positions, the latest war of words involving the Vatican adds a fresh religious and diplomatic dimension to an already volatile geopolitical crisis.
